The social and health implications of digital work intensification. Associations between exposure to information and communication technologies, health and work ability in different socio-economic strata.

PURPOSE: Older employees are often thought to be vulnerable to negative effects of information and communication technology (ICT). Our study aims to examine associations between work-related ICT exposure (i.e. ICT use or digital work intensification), physical health, mental health and work ability (WA). We examine whether these associations are modified by socio-economic position (SEP). METHODS: We analysed cross-sectional data from 3180 participants (born in 1959 and 1965) in wave 3 of the representative German lidA cohort study. We performed hierarchical multiple regression to assess the distinct associations of ICT use and digital work intensification with mental and physical health and WA. We stratified analyses by SEP and controlled for age, sex, and digital affinity. RESULTS: 92% of participants reported ICT use at work. Almost 20% reported high levels of digital work intensification, while a similar proportion did not experience digital work intensification. In bivariate analyses, ICT use by itself was not significantly associated with mental health or WA in the total sample or when stratified. Digital work intensification displayed negative associations with mental health and WA. In hierarchical multiple regressions, digital work intensification showed consistently negative associations with mental health and work ability of similar strength across SEP. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that ICT use, per se, does not negatively impact older workers. Digital work intensification may be associated with worse mental health and work ability. Research on health and social implications of work-related ICT should differentiate patterns of ICT exposure and assess modifications by SEP to better gauge the ambiguous effects of ICT.

Work profiles of older employees in Germany-results from the lidA-cohort study.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates whether a typology of work exposure can be established among older workers in Germany. Work exposure comprises physical work, working time quality, work intensity, skills & discretion, social environment, leadership, continued education, earnings and work prospects. METHODS: Latent profile analysis was conducted on a representative sample of the socially insured workforce in Germany born in 1959 or 1965 (N = 6277). Seven year-prospective associations between the typology and work-related outcomes (physical and mental health, work ability and work-privacy-conflict) were investigated to establish the distinctness of the profiles. RESULTS: Five profiles were identified: "Poor Quality" (19%), "Relaxed Manuals" (30%), "Strained non-Manuals" (16%), "Smooth Running" (33%) and "High Flying" (3%). These profiles exhibited diverging patterns of association with the selected outcomes, thus representing qualitatively distinct subgroups of older workers in Germany. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a typological approach may broaden the understanding of the ageing work force and the complex interplay of the overall work situation with outcomes of high individual and social relevance such as health, work ability and employment. The five work profiles identified in this study may constitute crucial clusters needed to reliably mirror today's over-all work exposure patterns in the older work force in Germany. They may allow for the comprehensible monitoring of quality of work and personal life among the older work force during their last working years and their transition to retirement in current times of extending working lives.

Household income and retirement perspective among older workers in Germany-Findings from the lidA Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: In times of extending working lives, it is relevant to understand why, today, most workers leave employment long before regular retirement age. Financial factors have been central for explaining retirement timing, yet their impact seems rather complicated. This study explores the motivation to keep working, in relation to the economic household conditions among older workers and it investigates the impact of socio-demographic, individual and work factors on the motivation to keep working (MTW), again differentiated by economic household condition. METHODS: Based on data from wave three (2018) of the lidA Cohort Study, a representative interview study of socially insured employees born in 1959 or 1965 in Germany, descriptives and linear regression analyses were performed among 2835 employed participants. For all analyses, the sample was divided into five household equivalized net income groups. RESULTS: The groups with low and second lowest income were most motivated to work longer, followed by those with the highest income. The lowest income group exhibited most adverse scores for work indicators and health. Furthermore, in this group, MTW was unrelated to physical and mental health indicating that the comparably high motivation may be driven by financial imperatives. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that many workers with low income may find themselves forced to extend their working life, irrespective of their health. This requires increased attention by research as well as policy. Policy might have to acknowledge group specific negative side effects of regulations effectively extending working lives.

Validation of Short Measures of Work Ability for Research and Employee Surveys.

Work ability (WA) is an important concept in occupational health research and for over 30 years assessed worldwide with the Work Ability Index (WAI). In recent years, criticism of the WAI is increasing and alternative instruments are presented. The authors postulate that theoretical and methodological issues need to be considered when developing alternative measures for WA and conclude that a short uni-dimensional measure is needed that avoids conceptual blurring. The aim of this contribution is to validate the short and uni-dimensional WAI components WAI 1 (one item measuring "current WA compared with the lifetime best") and WAI 2 (two items assessing "WA in relation to the [mental/physical] demands of the job"). Cross-sectional and 12-month follow-up data of two large samples was used to determine construct validity of WAI 1 and WAI 2 and to relate this to respective results with the WAI. Data sources comprise nurses in Europe investigated in the European NEXT-Study (Sample A; Ncross-sectional = 28,948 and NLongitudinal = 9462, respectively) and nursing home employees of the German 3Q-Study (Sample B) where nurses (N = 786; 339, respectively) and non-nursing workers (N = 443; 196, respectively) were included. Concurrent and predictive validity of WAI 1 and WAI 2 were assessed with self-rated general health, burnout and considerations leaving the profession. Spearman rank correlation (ρ) with bootstrapping was applied. In all instances, WAI 1 and WAI 2 correlated moderately, and to a similar degree, with the related constructs. Further, WAI 1 and 2 correlated with WAI moderately to strongly with ρ ranging from 0.72-0.76 (WAI 1) and 0.70-0.78 (WAI 2). Based on the findings and supported by theoretical and methodological considerations, the authors confirm the feasibility of the short measures WAI 1 and WAI 2 for replacing WAI at least in occupational health research and employee surveys.

Cut-off values for the applied version of the Beck Depression Inventory in a general working population.

BACKGROUND: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for the assessment of depressive symptoms is well established in clinical settings. An applied version (BDI-V) was previously developed in German for use within epidemiologic studies. The current study analyses the association between this applied version of the BDI and different measures of functioning. The aim is to determine BDI-V cut-off values when used in a population of employees. METHODS: The study included 6339 employees of the first wave of a German cohort study on work, age, health and work participation. Depressive symptoms were assessed by an applied version of the BDI-V. Data on functioning were obtained from personal interviews. The determination of cut-off values is achieved with the min-max principle for classification applied to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The min-max principle points to a BDI-V cut-off between 20 and 24 for male and between 23 and 28 for female respondents. The corresponding sensitivities range between 0.64 and 0.75 for males and between 0.59 and 0.74 for females. Specificities range between 0.64 and 0.75 for males and between 0.60 and 0.74 for females. Female respondents have higher BDI-V cut-offs for all criteria. CONCLUSIONS: The range of values is lower than a recommendation in a former study. In addition to this, the values differ for gender. The current analyses focus on an easier-to-use version of the BDI formerly applied for epidemiologic studies. The determination of cut-off values is based on criteria which are indicators for impairment in (work) functioning in a population of employees. Therefore, grouping of individuals according to the reported cut-off values is guided by the relevance of these scores for occupational functioning.

Applying Strategies of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation to Maintain Work Ability-A Psychosocial Resource Complementing the Job Demand-Control Model? Results From the Representative lidA Cohort Study on Work, Age, and Health in Germany.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether aging employees' selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) strategies were associated with work ability over and above job demand and control variables, as well as across professions. METHODS: Multivariable linear regressions were conducted using a representative sample of German employees born in 1959 and 1965 (N = 6057). RESULTS: SOC was assessed to have an independent effect on work ability. Associations of job demands and control variables with work ability were more prominent. The SOC tended to enhance the positive association between decision authority and work ability. CONCLUSIONS: Individual strategies of selection, optimization, and compensation could be considered as psychosocial resources adding up to a better work ability and complement prevention programs. Workplace interventions should deal with job demands and control to maintain older employees' work ability in times of working population shrinkage.

Cohort profile: the lidA Cohort Study-a German Cohort Study on Work, Age, Health and Work Participation.

The lidA Cohort Study (German Cohort Study on Work, Age, Health and Work Participation) was set up to investigate and follow the effects of work and work context on the physical and psychological health of the ageing workforce in Germany and subsequently on work participation. Cohort participants are initially employed people subject to social security contributions and born in either 1959 (n = 2909) or 1965 (n = 3676). They were personally interviewed in their homes in 2011 and will be visited every 3 years. Data collection comprises socio-demographic data, work and private exposures, work ability, work and work participation attitudes, health, health-related behaviour, personality and attitudinal indicators. Employment biographies are assessed using register data. Subjective health reports and physical strength measures are complemented by health insurance claims data, where permission was given. A conceptual framework has been developed for the lidA Cohort Study within which three confirmatory sub-models assess the interdependencies of work and health considering age, gender and socioeconomic status. The first set of the data will be available to the scientific community by 2015. Access will be given by the Research Data Centre of the German Federal Employment Agency at the Institute for Employment Research (http://fdz.iab.de/en.aspx).